Volos' large hand grabbed his shoulder and held him fast. "We are to talk to him first, remember? Besides, we don't have to go to him. If this really is his home, he'll be coming to us shortly."
Ayden took a deep breath and slowly returned the sword as he exhaled. They only waited a few moments before a short, squatty creature appeared, rapidly waddling their way.
To say he was hairy would've been an understatement. Dark tangles of long brown strands sprouted from every part of his body--except for the very top of his head. Shreds of stained clothing hung limply from his body, and the little patches of skin that could be seen through all the hair was covered with soil and grease. He was nothing like the pictures Ayden had seen of proud looking dwarves with neatly groomed beards and clean, noble clothing.
The dwarf was hunched and clutching something to his chest. His gravelly laughter wafted through the air toward Ayden and Volos. He was so involved with his own apparent victory, that he didn't see them until he was practically on top of them. When he realized he wasn't alone, he stopped dead in his tracks and surveyed the intruders through narrowed, yellow eyes. The dwarf stood perfectly still for so long that Ayden wondered if he was hoping they hadn't noticed him and would walk away. Finally, he cautiously asked, "What do you want?"
Volos looked to Ayden and jerked his head toward the dwarf. Surprised, Ayden shook his head; he had no idea how to proceed. Volos looked sternly back at Ayden and gave him a curt nod. Ayden sighed heavily and turned back to the dwarf who was looking as if he would've taken off running if this had gone on a second longer; but he remained immobile as Ayden took a step forward.
Trying to be friendly, Ayden asked the dwarf his name, even though the barkeep had already told them. "Nonya" was the dwarf's reply. Ayden wondered to himself why the dwarf gave a false name, but nodded politely before the dwarf burst out with a deep belly laugh. "Nonya business!" he shouted, and then laughed in Ayden's face. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Feeling like a complete idiot, Ayden approached the dwarf again. "Look, Skeezicks, we've had reports of someone doing a lot of stealing and rampaging around the village, stuff like that?" The dwarf stopped laughing at hearing his true name. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Ayden asked.
The dwarf answered huffily, "'Course I don' know nothin' 'bout that! I've been treated poorly since comin' here--had lots of bad luck!"
"You wouldn't mind us taking a look inside your, uh, home then would you?" Ayden asked, sure the dwarf would resist. But he politely obliged, motioning for Ayden to take a look. He even pulled a lantern out of nowhere and handed it to him.
Surprised, Ayden looked to Volos for some sort of confirmation that this was how things were supposed to go. The man's face was unreadable and he made no movement to assist his younger companion.
Ayden gritted his teeth with frustration and knelt down to peer apprehensively into the cave. With sudden force, his head smashed into the jagged mouth of the cave, and he fell backward. As the stars dissipated from his vision, the dwarf ran past him and cackled his way deep into the cave, out of sight and out of reach.
Ayden rubbed the lump forming on his scalp and turned toward Volos, who was shaking his head and holding back a laughing fit. "You remember anything I taught you?"
Heat rushed to Ayden's cheeks as he angrily scrambled to his feet. Avoiding Volos' eyes, he made a performance out of brushing leaves and dirt from his clothes. "We need a plan," he said to Volos.
"Now you're starting to make sense."
"Uh ,what should we do?"
"First, we need to find a place to sleep for the night. Then, we can go over some ideas. C'mon."
Volos motioned for him to follow. They approached another cottage with a wooden sign of a duck with its neck curled back against its body; its eyes were closed as it slept peacefully on a very comfortable looking cloud.
A plump, rosy-cheeked woman greeted them warmly as they entered the inn. The atmosphere inside the building was intoxicatingly warm and relaxed-completely opposite from the bar at the edge of town. Warm, golden wood lined the walls, and a faint scent of cinnamon tickled Ayden's nostrils. The exhaustion he'd been ignoring settled in his body, and he wanted nothing more than to curl up in a soft bed and sleep.
Volos procured a room for the night, and then Ayden followed him sleepily back into the cool evening. Spats of rain finally released from the clouds struck his face, reviving him as he followed Volos to a dining cottage.
While they ate, Volos and Ayden discussed some ideas of how to capture their wily target. Several people in the dining hall overheard their conversation and offered their assistance. They were all more than eager to be rid of their newest resident.
After much deliberation, a solid plan was formed. The townspeople agreed to use some of their finer possessions as bait to lure the dwarf from his cave. The people would form a perimeter around the bait, hidden from view. When the dwarf came to help himself to what he found, Ayden would tackle him, tying his arms and legs before he could get away. He'd done this once before on a calf. But he didn't think mentioning this was important. The human perimeter would stay in place until the dwarf was caught in case he slipped through Ayden's fingers.
He went to bed that night feeling excited. They had a foolproof plan, what could go wrong? He turned to Volos to express his thoughts on the matter, only to find his companion sitting with his eyes closed and his hands folded; he was deep in meditation. Ayden had forgotten all about doing that.
A lesson from Volos flashed through his mind. "Whatever weapons you choose, even if those weapons are your hands, those weapons are an extension of you. If you have control of yourself, you will have control of your weapons, and you will have control of your situation. Meditation is the key to gaining that self- control."
Meditation was meant to clear Ayden's mind of negative thoughts that might hinder his performance. However, his mind always wandered into daydreams when he tried.
Feeling confident that all would go well the next day, not to mention being exhausted, Ayden passed on the meditation. Snuggling deep into the down-filled mattress, he allowed the rhythmic sound of the rain lull him to sleep.
The next day, everything was set up early. The bait was set in an inconspicuous spot to avoid the dwarf's suspicion, and the townspeople took their positions along with Ayden and Volos. The rain had thankfully spent itself during the night, but had left everything a muddy, mucky mess. Jynx kept clear of the slop as he sat atop a barrel next to a lovely gray cat, both curiously watching the activity.
Two hours passed with no sign of the dwarf. Ayden wondered if Skeezicks was keen to their operation and had decided to stay hidden for the day. Then, his sensitive ears caught the slightest sound. Th-wuck. Th-wuck. Th-wuck. Something was walking through the mud, its feet suctioning in the stickiness. The black dwarf was coming!
The suctioning grew louder, and just as the dwarf came within a few feet from the bait, one of the towns-people stepped from his post and shouted, "I don't think he's co--" It was at this point that he noticed the dwarf. Realizing his mistake, the man stood motionless as Ayden held his breath, hoping the fool's actions hadn't spoiled the plan. The dwarf, however, appeared suddenly aware of many eyes staring at him. He quickly grabbed the bag of goods and turned, slopping through the mud as quickly as his stubby legs would allow.
Ayden took action. His target and his footing fought for his focus as he slipped after the more sure-footed dwarf. He could hear Volos yelling instructions and the sound of several pairs of feet slopping behind him. Thankfully, they reached a grassy area where the footing was more secure and Ayden was able to gain more ground with his longer strides.
Grabbing a rope from his belt, Ayden swung a lasso above his head. Aiming carefully, he caught the dwarf's ankle and pulled him down face first into the wet grass. Feeling good about himself, Ayden bore down on the creature, ready to tie his hands and legs. But Skeezic
ks had other plans; as Ayden reached to grab him, the dwarf forcefully flung his newfound treasure, hitting Ayden squarely in the face.
Not again! Stars disrupted Ayden's vision. He got up quickly, shaking his head to rid the fog that threatened to settle there, and continued to pursue his target.
He was so focused on chasing Skeezicks that he didn't notice where they were heading. The dwarf ran over the top of a small embankment and out of sight. As Ayden reached the top of the same embankment, he felt as if he'd run into a brick wall; the river waited on the other side. Swirling, foaming, roaring water gushed furiously over large, rounded boulders and cut into the riverbank, leaving a sharp edge that dropped abruptly into the dark water.
Ayden stood there, the warmth draining from his body, as the river became a living creature. With every rapid beat of his heart, the water growled louder and gushed more furiously. Ayden breathed in short bursts as he heard distant voices yelling. What were they saying? His name--he heard someone calling his name! Did they want him to turn back?
Holding his breath, he attempted to hear the voices better. Tingling and then numbness enveloped his body as the scene around him grew dim. He was falling; his body crashed to the ground and his ankles throbbed. Panic gripped his chest. He had to get away--get away before they reached him?
Ayden woke to Jynx's rough, wet tongue licking his nose. What happened? He slowly opened his eyes to see a ring of heads hovering over him. "Ayden, you alright?" Volos' deep voice was edged with concern.
"'Dwarf must've hit 'em harder than he thought," one of the heads in the circle stated.
"He froze up, wasn't up to the challenge," another whispered.
"Back up and give him some air," Volos demanded. Everyone timidly backed away.
Ayden smirked and said, "If I didn't know better, I'd say they were afraid of you." He surveyed his surroundings. They were back at the grassy area where he had chased the dwarf earlier. The dwarf! "What happened? Did Skeezicks get away?" he asked in alarm as he sat up too suddenly. His head throbbed and he had to blink several times to fight back a serious head rush.
"After you fro--uh, passed out, your big friend here leapt over you, caught, knocked out, and tied the dwarf, and then carried you both back up the embankment, all in about five seconds' time!" a villager said in a rush. Then he spoke with awe, "Never seen anything like it."
Skeezicks lay a few feet away, grumbling and groaning while attempting to wriggle free from his restraints. Ayden watched him for a few seconds and then turned to Volos. "I failed, then." The heaviness of defeat settled on his shoulders as he realized that he'd screwed up his first real mission.
"You didn't fail, Ayden. You learned." Volos patted Ayden reassuringly on his shoulder. "Let's get you cleaned up and dried off," he said and helped Ayden to his feet. After steadying him, Volos walked to the dwarf and took a silvery piece of paper from the scrap of pocket on his shirt.
"What's that?" Ayden asked, rubbing his head.
Volos quickly stuffed the paper in his own pocket. "Nothing important. We'll deal with it later." Ayden didn't question further. His head was pounding and he just wanted to get back to their room.
Many of the townspeople that had stayed safely indoors during the events of the morning emerged and cheered enthusiastically as the group of men walked past, the black dwarf bound and stumbling between them. Despite the grand celebration and Volos' words of encouragement, Ayden couldn't shake his disappointment or the uneasiness that hovered over him.
Having failed to capture Skeezicks wasn't all that bothered Ayden. Unlike his nightmares in the past, his visions that had occurred by the river did not dissolve. Instead, they remained solid and clear, planting a stony seed of new fear in the pit of his stomach--the fear of remembering the truth.
Chapter Five
Hosgrow